This highly interactive website (created by the National Museum of Natural History) teaches students about the Earth. Topics include, "If Rocks Could Talk," "Plates on the Move," "Making Rocks," "Mysterious Planets," and more! There is also a link, "Stuff To Do" which provides activities to do away from the computer. Some of the interactive links require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom

Introduce the site and the "Big Idea" on a projector or interactive whiteboard, then assign students to choose one of the activities to complete. Share results with the class on an interactive whiteboard or projector as groups complete the activity. Include this link on your teacher web page for enrichment and at-home exploration. Students could also be assigned the "non-computer" activities for homework.

Use this site for students to grasp the basics and more about tornadoes as part of a weather or safety unit. Students will love how they can control a tornado by selecting its funnel width and core pressure on this interactive site. The Story Map features real life stories and photos of tornados, as well as experiments to try out in the classroom or home. Younger students will enjoy the interactive twister and twister in a bottle.

In the Classroom

Take this opportunity to integrate a geography lesson to grades 4-6 and locate the states in "tornado alley." Given a set of guiding questions, assign older students in pairs to create a tornado information brochure. This site could work well on laptops or in a lab after you introduce the site on a projector.

Stellarium is a free, open source planetarium software for your computer. You must download the software and install it on your computer to create a planetarium-like experience right in your classroom. (Open source software is free to allow software developers to collaborate and improve on the products.) The download and install are not difficult, but you should ask someone for help if you are uncomfortable.

In the Classroom

You may need tech support to help you install the program on a school computer. There is an extensive wiki (user-contribution help section) to answer your questions about using Stellarium.

Try it on a projector in your classroom or even on an interactive whiteboard where students can draw and highlight items "in space." When you find successful strategies for using the software, be sure to participate in the wiki to share them. Or
contact TeachersFirst to let us know more about ways to use Stellarium, so we can share them with other teachers!

For everything everyone wants to know about volcanoes, look at this webpage which includes data on current eruptions, startling photos, links to videos of volcanic activity, links to lesson plans, volcano FAQ's, and a glossary. Video links require the Quicktime plugin. The Kids Door takes you to portins appropriate for younger students and virtual field trips to volcanoes suitable for any age.

In the Classroom

Use a projector to take a virtual field trip as you start the study of volcanoes, then include this site as a link on your teacher web page for students to research different volcanoes and current activity.

Visualize patterns of change in Earth's atmosphere and environment using these activities from NASA and actual earth images to bring the concepts to life. Each activity is spelled out in the teacher information so you can use visual data to demonstrate the concepts. There are complete questions to ask and animations for each activity. Each one is a comparison over time to illustrate change. Your students will actually get practice OBSERVING. Allow time to download the animations. Requires Quicktime! Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

This website is a wonderful resource for teachers. Some of the highlights include video footage from Bill Nye, episode guides for 100 shows, questions and answers, instructions for at-home learning fun, directions to make some unique science crafts and some very interesting science facts. The site requires FLASH. Some downloadable directions use Acrobat Reader. Get them from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom

If showing your class a Bill Nye video, the episode guides will help to organize the lesson. Students may enjoy simply surfing the site, some very interesting facts are displayed! Don't forget to check out the "home demos" for some new ideas. This is a great site to include as a general enrichment link from your teacher web page. Hook some young scientists!

ESL/ELL and other students learn vocabulary about hurricanes in this interactive lesson that mandates student performance on the artistic, oral, written, and recognition levels. Using a combination of written materials, videos, downloaded materials, and related experiences, students add to their active word list, their science knowledge, and emergency preparedness; a KWL activity ties the various parts of the lesson together and makes it interesting to them. The plan includes multi-level assessment tools in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

Listen to songs to teach important (and less important) science concepts. This collection of MP3 files was generated from an old set of records (yes, those round vinyl things that had scratches). While the actual copyright holder information is a gray area, you can feel safe in playing the songs from the site. Most likely, these songs from the 1950s and 60s are past copyright at this point. In any case, you can click to play from smaller or larger file versions. Be patient while they load, even over a broadband connection. It will be worth the wait to teach parts of plants, the water cycle, weather, motion, energy, electricity, and MANY other topics with just a computer and set of speakers to help students retain the information. Most of the content is elementary to middle school age, but some is high school level. Learning support teachers seeking alternate study strategies will love this one!

In the Classroom

Include the links to specific songs for review on your teacher web site or play one of the songs as students enter the room (a sort of audio anticipatory set). You will definitely need to turn up the speakers. Elementary music teachers might want to pick up one of the songs while the students are studying these topics and teach the music and lyrics during music class!

This site, affliated with the PBS program NOW, offers a lesson plan on global warming. There are a variety of materials available, including a good Venn-diagram style worksheet (requires Acrobat Reader) that helps students organize the arguments for and against global warming, a list of possible projects which illustrate both sides of the argument. There is a link to transcripts of a NOW segment on global warming and discussion questions, or you can purchase a tape of the program.

In the Classroom

The site includes a link to a great slide show with Flash animation that explains the science of global warming, suitable for middle school students, which would make a good stand-alone mini lesson for teachers with a SmartBoard or projector.

This information-packed site focuses on calendars through the ages. It includes sections on the astronomy of calendars (e.g. moon cycles), the history of calendars, differences among various international calendars, derivation of the names of the months, and loads of other trivia about calendars.

In the Classroom

Lots of great stuff for "did you know?" discussions or as an extension of a study of timelines and other graphic organizers of information. A few interesting visuals, but the strength of this site is in its information. Might be a good source for monthly bulletin boards or an enrichment area for gifted students.

Take action against global warming and depletion of the ozone layer. Start by using this site's CO2 calculator to estimate your personal impact on the environment and check out the things you can do in your home and travels to improve your behavior.
Note: this site is the companion to the documentary An Inconvenient Truth and gets a large amount of traffic, making it very slow to operate at peak times. You may want to use it as a whole-class activity or at-home enrichment if it is running slowly for you at the time you choose to use it.

In the Classroom

Warn your students not to venture into the portion of the site where they are "purchasing" contributions to i=offset their CO2 emissions. Instead, ask them to figure out which of their behaviors causes the worst pollution. Have them do a family survey at home to calculate what the family can do.

NOVA provides a wide array of information on global dimming, a crisis due to the masking effect of pollution on the true impact of global warming. See interactive timelines of global change, some creative pollution solutions, and more. There is a complete teacher's guide, including hands-on classroom activities and extensive related links. This site is a companion to the PBS television broadcast.

In the Classroom

Use this site as a starting point for your discussion of global warming and environmental issues or as a research source for student projects. The interactive timeline would display well on a projector or interactive whiteboard to give students the "big picture" they so rarely have on their own.

Bring the power and drama of an actual earthquake into your classroom with this beautifully designed Web site. In addition to basic information about the science behind this natural phenomenon - including explanations of plate tectonics, faults, and how scientist measure earthquake force - the site provides historical information about some of the world's most devastating quakes and some breathtaking video clips. Click on "Active Zone" for some creative, hands-on activities that can be implemented in your classroom.

Remember the anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco quake - and learn a lot about earthquakes in general - with this remarkable set of Google Earth overlays from USGS. The set illustrates the 1906 quake, the plate tectonics of western North America, and the history of earthquakes in the area over the past century.

Challenge your students to think more deeply about the immediate world around them with this collection of thirty thought-provoking questions. Take the quiz yourself to discover how perceptive you truly are regarding the environment that supports your lifestyle. Where does your garbage go? What spring wildflower is the first to bloom where you live? What time is sunset today? There are many possibilities for creation of an environmental lesson around this one.

Find science-based information on environmental issues for students and educators at this site created by the Environmental Literacy Council. Choose from the two main areas - one for teachers and the other for students. The Teaching Resources include a variety of lesson modules, teaching resources, and AP Labs and Activities. The Teacher Exchange is an archive for teachers of environmental science courses and contains areas for sharing lab and teaching ideas with peers. The Students Index features homework help, writing tips, and fact-based articles on a variety of topics. Editors note: When reviewing this site, some links within different sections didn't work. Try using links in the right-hand columns to find your desired topic if necessary.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Bookmark this site for use by you and your students to find fact-based information on the environment. Instead of using pencil and paper to take notes, have students use Padlet, reviewed here, to write and organize notes into columns. Ask them to include links to access information easily. Ask students to create infographics using Canva, reviewed here. Use infographics to share images, statistics, and other useful information on their chosen topics. Challenge students to create their own game using a toll like Scratch, reviewed here. Scratch offers users the ability to tell stories through animated drawings and storytelling,

The Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History may have created the ultimate online paleontology timeline. Beginning with the formation of the universe, this flash-driven site offers outstanding illustrations, examples, and content links for all the major geologic epochs and eras. This site makes looking billions of years into the past wonderfully interesting. Well worth a visit for teachers of geology, science, or earth science at all levels.

If the water cycle is process that occurs consistently throughout the world, why are there such widely differing climactic regions on our planet? This lesson plan addresses that question by asking students to tap into some higher level thinking skills. Applying their knowledge of the water cycle, students are asked to consider how each step of the process may change during different seasons in different locations on Earth, and create a detailed model illustrating their findings. Aligned to National Standards.

Participate in an interactive, ecological mystery while learning about marine animals, tides, and the ocean floor. As students progress through each chapter of this online story, they must search through a field guide and virtual study room for clues that will help them to uncover the carefully encrypted solution. Visit the Teacher's Guide for important facts, learning outcomes, and related topics. Aligned to National Standards.

A golf course that doubles as a water treatment facility? It's not so unbelievable. Click on the audio link to a recent Science Update and discover how water hazards could soon be used to control environmental hazards. A summary and discussion questions are included. Great introduction to the importance of wetlands in preserving the water supply and reducing flooding. Headphones needed. Aligned to National Standards.